Internal combustion rotary engine



H. W. HOADLEY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE Filed Sept. 3, 1963 Jan. 18, 1966 INVENTOR- ATTORNEYS Q \q \s N/ \\\I/ N O a N\ v 7 MN f Q a a Q N 2 w m l E United States: Patent 3,229,675 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE Harry W. Hoadley, Hancock County, Ohio (139 Laquineo St., Findlay, Ohio) Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,155 3 Claims. (Cl. 1238) This invention relates to rotary engine construction and more particularly to an improvement to eliminate most of the wear on the seals and chamber adding to their length of life.

This improvement is to be used in connection with my rotary engine No. 3,056,391, patented Oct. 2, 1962.

An important object of the present invention is to provide means to relieve the load on the seal caused by increased pressure when the charge of fuel is fired on the opposite side of the rotor that causes most of the wear of the seals and oval chamber the rotor works in, thereby lengthening the life of these parts.

Another object is by relieving the seal of this load. All the seal will be required to do will be the sealing.

A still further object is by relieving the seal of this load. The friction will be reduced on the seal caused by sliding in the oval casing, which causes exceptional wear and chatter.

With the foregoing and other objects, the benefits and advantages of this invention will become evident from a study of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view with the cover plate 6 of the chamber removed, showing the preferred construction.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line AA FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line AA FIG. 1 showing a modified form of placing the rollers further out.

Referring to the drawings in detail, which include this invention, the engine embodies a casing 5, which is substantially oval in formation as better shown in FIGURE 1 of drawings.

The sides of the casing are closed by means of closure plates 6 which are bolted to the center portion of the casing.

The casing is formed with an exhaust port 8 and inlet port 9, the inlet port being connected with a suitable supercharger or carburetor not shown.

The reference character 10 indicates the engine shaft and 12 the rotor. The shaft 14 has a pivoted connection with the rotor 12 at 15 and moves slidably through engine shaft 10 allowing floating movement of the rotor within the housing, as more specifically pointed out in FIGURES 8 and 9 of the aforementioned patent. Shaft 14 forms an elongated opening 32 in which a slidable bearing 33 operates, the slidable bearing 33 having an opening in which shaft 10 operates, so that as rotor 12 operates, it may move laterally within the casing, to conform to the shape of the casing to insure the proper operation of the engine. It will of course be understood that shaft 10' is keyed tobearing member 33.

The rotor which is substantially cylindrical in shape is formed with enlargements 18, which are provided with slots 19 in which the sealing blades 20 are positioned which contact the inner side of casing 5 insuring a fluidtight connection between the rotor and wall of the casing.

In operation of the engine as the rotor rotates mechanically, the three spaces or sides of the rotor between the rotor and casing are enlarged and decreased as the rotor revolves and a charge of fuel is drawn or forced in through the inlet port 9, compressed as that side of the 3,229,675 Patented Jan. 18, 1966 rotor moves to a point adjacent to the spark plug, where the charge will be fired and the impact of the fired charge will be directed against that side of the rotor and the casing. As the rotor revolves, the space enlarges between the rotor and casing and the charge is expanded and as the rotor continues to rotate the exhaust port 8 is reached and the space between the rotor and casing is now decreased and the space is cleared of the burnt charge, ready to take in a fresh charge on that side of the rotor. The rotor has three sides so it gets three impulses for each revolution of the rotor.

When the charge is fired, the impact or thrust on the side of the rotor 12 is through the center of the rotor, directed to the sealing blade 20 where it contacts the casing. This thrust or load causes a lot of friction and wear of the seal and the casing and this invention is for the purpose of relieving the seal of this load by having rollers at the sides of the rotor to carry the load.

FIGURE 2. The rotor has flanges or projections 21 on one or both of its sides, which support the rollers 22. Since the space is small inside the rotor, room is provided in a separate compartment 23 on the sides of the casing for the rollers. The rollers 22 operate on a track against the inside of the chamber 23. This track is the same shape as the inside of the chamber only it is smaller and the rollers keep the seal in proper contact with the inside of the chamber. The inpact or load from firing the charge is carried by the rollers 22 instead of the seal 20 and the rollers control and limit the movement of the seal.

FIGURE 3 shows a modified form [for placing the rollers as far out as the seal is.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawings and while various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus completely and fully described the invention, what is now claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a casing having a central axis and an inner o-val periphery providing a fuel inlet and an exhaust outlet;

a power shaft extending through said casing substantially along said axis;

a substantially cylindrical rotor having two perpendicular end faces mounted within said casing carrying three equally spaced enlargements on the circumference of said rotor;

sealing means on said enlargements in sealing engagement with said inner periphery of said casing;

track means fixedly mounted on said casing comprising an annular flange spaced laterally from said axis providing a tracking surface having a width extending longitudinally in a direction substantially parallel to said axis and extending peripherally in a configuration identical with said inner periphery of said casing;

at least three equally spaced roller means mounted on each of said perpendicular faces of said rotor between said shaft and said tracking surface in rolling engagement with said tracking surface, each of said roller means being in substantial alignment with said axis and one of said sealing means.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said tracking surface is coplanar with said inner periphery of said casing.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein each of said roller means comprises a laterally extending L-shaped arm having a short leg and a long leg with the short leg of said arm secured to said rotor, the long leg of said L- 3 4 shaped arm extending radially from said axis, said roller FOREIGN PATENTS means being mounted adjacent the free end of said long 1,291,364 3/1962 France 938,215 IO/1963 Great Britain.

References Clted by the Examlner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 SAMUEL LEVINE, Primary Examiner.

3,056,391 10/ 1962 Hoadley 12316 KARL J. ALBRECHT, Examiner.

3,108,578 10/1963 schefenbel'g X R. M. VARGO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE COMPRISING A CASINIG HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS AND AN INNER OVAL PERIPHERY PROVIDINIG A FUEL INLET AND AN EXHAUSE OUTLET; A POWER SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CASING SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG SAID AXIS; A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL ROTOR HAVING TWO PERPENDICULAR END FACES MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CASINIG CARRYING THREE EQUALLY SPACED ENLARGEMENTS ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID ROTOR; SEALING MEANS ON SAID ENLARGEMENTS IN SEALINGI ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID CASING, TRACK MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID CASING COMPRISING AN ANNULAR FLANGE SPACED LATERALLY FROM SAID AXIS PROVIDING A TRACKING SURFACE HAVING A WIDTH EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID AXIS AND EXTENDING PERIPHERALLY IN A CONFIGURATION IDENTICAL WITH INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID CASING; AT LEAST THREE EQUALLY SPACED ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID PERPENDICULAR FACES OF SAID ROTOR BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND SAID TRACKING SURFACE IN ROLLING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID TRACKING SURFACE, EACH OF SAID ROLLER MEANS BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNMENT WITH SAID AXIS AND ONE OF SAID SEALING MEANS. 